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Book & Author Re-commendations

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https://shalomplace.org/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/43110765/m/15310695

05 April 2006, 10:36 PM
johnboy
Book & Author Re-commendations
I propose a listing exercise with a very simple rubric. Add whatever you'd like but follow this format:

I recommend that, instead of reading [place name of book or name of author in blank], one might profit more from reading [place name of book or name of author in blank].

Just add to the list and include all of the previous entries, chain-letter style. Do not give your reasons on this thread but do consider, when you can get around to it, presenting your reasons and any compare & contrast exercise in a separate thread under this Reviews topic.

Feel free to do the same with movies, interchangeably. Just add movies and books to the same list. To wit:
I recommend that, instead of watching [place name of movie or director/film star/producers in blank], one might profit more from watching [place name of movie or director/film star/producers in blank].

I'll kick it off:

1) Instead of reading Ken Wilber, one might profit more from reading Daniel Helminiak.

2) Instead of watching ...
05 April 2006, 10:57 PM
Brad
If you want to read a good book written by a scientist, don't read Contact, by Carl Sagan. Read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman.
-----

Oops. Maybe I didn't do this right. Okay...

Instead of watching Katie Couric anchor the ABC Evening News (whenever that starts, if it hasn't already), go to NationalReviewOnline.com.

Instead of listening to...
05 April 2006, 11:12 PM
johnboy
quote:
Originally posted by Brad:
[qb] If you want to read a good book written by a scientist, don't read Contact, by Carl Sagan. Read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman.
-----

Oops. Maybe I didn't do this right. Okay...

Instead of watching Katie Couric anchor the ABC Evening News (whenever that starts, if it hasn't already), go to NationalReviewOnline.com.

Instead of listening to... [/qb]
Instead of thalonet Razzer
06 April 2006, 02:41 AM
Brad
quote:
Instead of thalonet
Never pick a fight unless you're prepared to get down and dirty.

Instead of reading Plato's Republic, one might profit more from reading this.
06 April 2006, 07:53 AM
johnboy
BN, could you design a book cover for How the West Was Won ( and what we must do to get it back) - a concise critique of Ken Wilber's influence on modern spirituality


06 April 2006, 04:34 PM
Brad
JB, I will definitely work on this. Also, let me know which book by Daniel Helminiak that you recommend starting with.
06 April 2006, 05:01 PM
johnboy
quote:
Originally posted by Brad:
[qb] JB, I will definitely work on this. Also, let me know which book by Daniel Helminiak that you recommend starting with. [/qb]
I recommend going to Visions of Daniel and, in the context of this particular recommendation, checking out his discussion of Wilber. But if you are wilber-fatigued,as we all get around here about twice a year, there is a lot of other stuff, too.


His Christology is a good read.



God Bless Daniel,
jb


06 April 2006, 05:37 PM
Brad

06 April 2006, 06:19 PM
johnboy
Superb, even has the 4Q symbolism ... Boy, am I gonna have a good time late April-fooling some folks with this one, BN. Thanks! Big Grin

Truly yours,
jb

quote:
Originally posted by Brad:
[qb] [/qb]

06 April 2006, 09:15 PM
Brad
Oh, I know I made no mention of the forward, but I believe a notice of such a thing, at most, would be on the back jacket unless the forward was by someone really well-known like Henry Kissinger or something. But in all good humor and with the worst of intentions, I present the first draft of the forward of this upcoming book:

quote:
When I was first approached by John and Phil to become a part of this book project, I said "Hey, who really cares all that much about Mr. Ed�s owner? Besides, I didn�t even know that Alan Young was into spiritualism." But then JB set me straight, as he always does. "I�m not talking about a TV show from the 60�s, dingleberry. I�m talking about Ken Wilber, the guy who has on the homepage of his website an endorsement by Dr. Walsh which says �Ken Wilber is one of the greatest philosophers of this century and arguably the greatest theoretical psychologist of all time.� Well, I�m going to argue that point and I want you to give me some of those brilliant, fantastic, incredible, -- dare I even say ingenious? � comments of yours."

How could I refuse? So after negotiating for a percentage of the book profits (gross, not net�I insisted on this -- I won�t be cheated), I proceeded to read John and Phil�s book. I was amazed! I was excited. I was on the edge of my seat! The cover art for his book was just exquisite. And then, after first having a trucking company forklift in an Oxford Super-duper Unabridged English Dictionary next to the side of my reading chair (with a couple Websters and several online dictionaries at my fingertips as a backup), I delved into his book. I was amazed! I was excited. I was hermeneutically spellbound. Never before had I seen fallacies exposed, dissected, removed, and thrown into the trash bin in such rapid succession. The multi-syllable semi-intelligible words were flying off the page -- although come to think of it, most of those phrases are so heavy they wouldn�t fly if you strapped a Saturn V rocket onto them. But that�s beside the point.

This is a most insightful (and I dare say inciteful) book by a pair of true intellectual heavy weights of our time. I understand that both their wives have them on proper diets now though. I now feel I possess a most thorough understand of Wilberian thinking and why, up to this point, Ken�s techniques have left me feeling that there was a little something missing. Well, John and Phil provide all the missing parts and more. This book is a feast for the mind. If brain food had a cholesterol rating, this would be like eating raw goose liver. But it�s oh so satisfying.

I recommend that all my friends run out and buy this book immediately. But since that amount of sales would leave all of us in poverty, I urge everyone else to buy one too. Don�t miss this ground-breaking and dictionary-shattering tome. Your spiritual life will be the better for it. In fact, you�ll probably be a much nicer person too, although Bantam Publishing insists that I put a little disclaimer in here and mention that that was a joke and that by reading this book you won�t necessarily really become a better person. [But I think you will � the heck with them fussy lawyers.]

06 April 2006, 10:26 PM
Phil
Man alive, those are funny, Brad! Big Grin And very well done! You should be a graphic artist. Oh, wait . . .

I'll pass on actually doing such a book, as I'm quite burned out on critiquing Wilberish writings at this time. But one could copy/paste JBs posts from a number of threads and come up with a JB metaphysics manuscript. One could start here (a thread I've bookmarked for nights as a bulwark against insomnia). The Afterword is already written. Wink
06 April 2006, 11:21 PM
Brad
The Afterword is already written.

Wow, how did you ever think of digging up that old thread?